Love Triangle
by superstargirl7
Summary: Oneshot. "He didn't know how he had been able to overlook this during the year that had passed, but just as Nathan said- this really was their Brooke". The reforming of the Brucas friendship. Set during 6X24.


**Hi guys! I know that I should truly be working on "Bleeding Heart" rather than on new fics, but this was a oneshot that had been plaguing my mind ever since episode 6X24, so I really had to let it out. It is quite different from my other long fics, as Brucas aren't a couple in this one and Leyton actually are, but I thought that in season finale, the Leyton moments were'nt that bad, so it just made sense... Anyway- this is basically about Lucas finding his friendship with Brooke again, as in my eyes- they didn't really have one ever since Leyton reunited. I would truly appreciate if those of you who survive this truly long oneshot would share their thoughts with me, as this is quite different from my usual fics, where Brucas are together, so I would like to know how this was! Anyway- enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters or quotes.

**Love Triangle**

_"If anything happens to me, I want you to take care of Lucas"_

As Brooke sat in the hospital's nursery, cradling Lucas and Peyton's nameless baby girl, that sentence echoed in her head over and over.

The past four days, during which her best friend had been lying unconsciously on a hospital bed, seemed like a surreal nightmare to Brooke. Even though she had tried to think positively during the past few months, ever since she had learned about Peyton's condition, as she couldn't bare the thoughts about something actually happening to her, she had always been aware of the terrifying possibility that something could go wrong during the delivery. However, when something actually did happen to Peyton, just as she had dreaded, she was nowhere near prepared for the pain that she felt. She was officially scared out of her mind every time she allowed herself to rationally think about the possibility that Peyton wouldn't wake up, and the only thing that had kept her from completely losing it was the thought about what her friend had asked her the day of her wedding- to take care of the new family she had created, to step into Peyton's dream that had just come true in the most unfair way possible, as she currently couldn't enjoy it.

_"I do not want Lucas to be alone, or a baby… or you…"_

Every time those words flashed in her mind, reminding her of the loving way her best friend looked at her as she said those words, Brooke needed to bite her lip in order to remain from crying. She had only let go of her tears once, when Nathan had first called her and told her what happened, but right after she had calmed down, she had told herself that she needed to stay strong, that she needed to keep it together so she could fulfill her best friend's wish and take care of her husband and child until she could do it herself. She hadn't really slept in four days and she was constantly battling against her emotions, but for her best friend's sake, she didn't let go. For her best friend's sake, she remained tough and supportive, so that the newly-born child could be held and taken care of and so the devastated husband could have a shoulder to lean on. No matter how hard she tried to accomplish Peyton's request, though, there was one major problem along the way, because no matter what she tried to do, Lucas, the baby and her were still alone, because Peyton wasn't there…

As Peyton's beautiful, tiny girl softly cooed, Brooke's mind drifted back from her dark thoughts to the living creature in her arms, who was bundled up in a pink blanket and snuggling into the warmth of her body. She smiled sadly at the little baby and gently kissed her tiny fingers, which were wiggling gently in front of her.

"Hi baby…" Brooke softly spoke, drawing gentle, soothing lines on the child's chin and cheeks with her index finger. She wanted this little girl to be surrounded by love, and since her mother was currently incapable of providing her with affection and her father was too distracted by her mother's condition, Brooke was determined to personally make sure that this baby would be cared for.

"You're so beautiful… yes, you are" Brooke whispered, watching the new-born closing her eyes as exhaustion took over her young body, "Just like your mom…" she sadly added, emotions clouding her eyes, "You're gonna meet her soon and see, baby…" Brooke promised the sleepy child, rocking her softly in her arms as she took several deep breaths and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She forced herself to believe that she wasn't just wishfully thinking, that she wasn't just speaking empty words when she told Peyton's daughter that her mother would truly be there with her soon. There was truly no other way- Peyton just _had_ to be alright…

As Brooke's thoughts once again got the better of her, causing sorrowful tears to start forming in her eyes, Peyton and Lucas' baby had once again managed to pull her back to reality by shifting slightly in her sleep and unconsciously moving her miniature palm onto Brooke's chest, placing it right over her heart.

_"I love you…"_

She could hear Peyton's emotion-filled voice in her head, telling her how much she cared about her as the little girl's unintentional, yet all the same meaningful gesture gave her just the comfort and reassurance she needed to be able to blink her tears back.

"I love you too, baby girl" Brooke murmured as she delicately kissed the slumbering child's forehead, "and I also love your mommy very much…" she added with a sigh. Rising from the rocking chair she was sitting on, Brooke slowly walked over to the baby's hospital crib and carefully placed her inside it, drawing small circles in the newborn's back for several moments before giving her one last kiss and walking out of the nursery room. She truly did love this baby's mother, which was exactly why she was going to do as she had asked her and check on Lucas. Brooke would have much rather stayed with the tiny baby all day, surrounded by the serene atmosphere of the hospital nursery, but Peyton had wanted her to take care of Lucas, and even though the brooding, edgy state that Lucas was in was making it hard for Brooke to control her own emotions, for Peyton's sake she was willing to push herself to her limits and allow the upset blond to let out all of his unrestrained feelings while her own emotions were suppressed, eating her from inside…

*******

"Hey Luke, I brought you some lunch" Brooke announced as she entered her best friend's silent hospital room, attempting to make her exhausted and hoarse voice as encouraging and lively as she could. She forced a small smile as she placed the food bag on the small table next to Lucas, by Peyton's bedside, and quickly walked over to the opposite side of her best friend's bed.

"Hi P. Sawyer" she greeted her best friend as cheerfully as she could, bending down to kiss the motionless girl's pale forehead. Seeing Peyton like this truly broke her heart, but Brooke refused to give in to her emotions, telling herself that Peyton wouldn't want them to sit around her bed and cry all day. She therefore settled on a chair by Peyton's bedside and glanced over at Lucas, frowning as she noticed how he was distantly staring into space.

"You should really eat, Luke. You haven't touched anything all day…" Brooke gently pointed out, looking at him with concern. It didn't matter right now that she hadn't eaten a thing herself since the previous day's noontime, when Julian had come by and had basically threatened her that he would physically drag her home if she wouldn't sit down and eat a proper meal, because at the moment, taking care of Lucas was the most important thing for her. She had promised her best friend that she would do that, and therefore Lucas' wellbeing currently mattered to her even more than her own.

"Luke…" she tried again as the blond brooder simply ignored her, this time eliciting a growl out of him.

"I'm not hungry."

"Lucas, come on-"

"I said I wasn't hungry!" he snapped, his tone so harsh that it sounded like he wanted to bite Brooke's head off.

"Look, Luke- I know that food is the last thing on your mind right now, but you really need to be strong for-"

"For the last time, Brooke, I am NOT hungry!" Lucas roared at her, causing her to slightly flinch due to the intensity of his tone, "I don't need anyone to tell me what to do or to babysit me, so you can just take your damn food and leave" he snarled. The cruelty of his words caused Brooke to feel her emotions flooding up, but she quickly forced them back down, reminding herself that she couldn't blame Lucas for his actions, that he was under so much pressure as it was that she couldn't hold anything against him.

"I'm not leaving until you eat, Luke" Brooke quietly said, "Peyton would have wanted-"

"Do NOT tell me what Peyton would have wanted!" Lucas completely lost his temper and shouted at Brooke, "She would have wanted to be here with her baby- _that's_ what she would have wanted!"

"I know, Luke, but is this how you want her to find you when she wakes up; stressed-out, sleep-deprived and hungry?" she pointed out, causing Lucas to understand that he wasn't going to get rid of her that easily.

"Fine" he angrily said, pulling out the grilled-chicken sandwich Brooke had brought him and taking a bite out of it, "Happy now?" he asked venomously, annoyed by her persistence and even more- by the fact that once he took one bite- he couldn't stop and had to admit to himself that he truly was hungry. Brooke didn't say a word, reminding herself that this was not the time to judge Lucas, yet inwardly congratulated herself once she saw that he began eating the entire meal she had bought for him. At least she was doing something right, even if it felt like she hadn't managed to really get through to him.

The two of them sat in silence as Lucas ate, listening to the comforting sounds of the machines Peyton was connected to as they beeped in a constant, regular rhythm. They were two tired and emotionally-weary souls, both waiting only for one thing- for the pale, frail girl in the hospital bed before them to open her eyes and be well again…

Only once Lucas had finished eating and slumped back on his seat, as if on cue, the silence in the room was disturbed, as a doctor entered Peyton's room. Lucas and Brooke quickly rose to their feet, to give the doctor access to Peyton's bed, and stood at the corner of the room, side by side, watching him tensely as he checked Peyton's condition. As Brooke's personal fears almost got the better of her, she felt Lucas palm accidently brushing against hers, reminding her that there was someone else she needed to think about before she could give in to her own pain. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm and collected, telling herself that she should be glad that Lucas was actually by her side, perhaps finally willing to allow her to shoulder his pain. Refueled by this sudden belief, Brooke dared to take Lucas' hand in her own and squeeze it supportively, relieved to see that even though he wasn't squeezing her palm back- he wasn't pushing her away either.

"How is she, doc?" Lucas nervously questioned, staring at the sinister-looking doctor with fearful, worried eyes.

"The same…" the doctor said, and Brooke had to bite her lower lip forcefully to remain from sobbing out, "I'm sorry- but right now I don't see a change in her condition…" he elaborated, causing Brooke's heart to truly sink. To make matters worse, she suddenly felt Lucas pulling his hand out of her gentle grasp and angrily storming out the door.

"Lucas…" Brooke ran after him, not wanting him to be alone during such an emotional time. She somehow managed to reach the angry blond, despite his much larger strides and grabbed onto his shoulder, trying to turn him around- to face her. Despite her success in doing so, her gentle touch and soft expression were met with such a harsh glare and aggressive pose, that Brooke actually stumbled backwards slightly.

"Luke… Come on, we-"

"Back off, Brooke" Brooke's careful attempt to get through to Lucas, despite the fact that she was taken aback from his actions, was once again met with hostility from his side. Bearing in mind her oath to her best friend that she would take care of the brooding writer for her, Brooke suppressed her personal discomfort and hesitantly tried again.

"Luke, please-"

"_Back the fuck up, Brooke!_" Lucas hollered into Brooke's face, towering above her and causing her to take several frightened steps back. She would have never believed that Lucas Scott could make her feel so unsafe and intimidated, but the fact remained that he was twice her size and that a man his size had already physically harmed her only several months earlier, leaving her with wounds she had yet to fully heal from. She still wanted to keep her word to Peyton and deep down- she knew that Lucas was only lashing out at her due to his pain and fear, but at the moment- she was simply paralyzed to her spot, regardless of her personal will or of Lucas' true intention. Lucas' eyes wore such a dark, angry expression and glared at her with such rage, that for the first time in four days- her best friend was forced out of her thoughts.

"What's going on in here?" much to Brooke's relief, Julian's familiar voice interfered the intense moment before Lucas' rage could get out of control. Julian walked up to the silent duo with a frown, which considerably deepened once he was close enough to Brooke to see how tensed up her body was and what a frightened expression she wore.

"What the hell, Lucas?! Back off of her!" he demanded, positioning himself between Brooke and Lucas.

"Julian, it's fine…" reassured by his protective presence, Brooke was able to swallow her tears and snap out of her fear. She placed a gentle hand on Julian's arm, wanting to calm him down before the two men would get into an unwanted fight. However, as Julian noticed how Brooke's small fingers were still slightly trembling, his rage only increased.

"Listen, Lucas- you need to go home, take a shower, get some rest or do whatever will help you calm down. Until you do- stay away from Brooke!" Julian angrily told him and then added, "Actually, until you do- you should probably stay away from both Peyton and your daughter as well!" Julian advised, causing Lucas to see red. When his gaze momentarily averted from Julian and over to Brooke and he saw how she was still silently trying to collect herself, his rage became even greater, as he realized that Julian was right.

"Go to hell, Julian" Lucas said to him before storming away, leaving the hospital for the first time since Peyton had entered it four days earlier.

Julian rolled his eyes, yet remained quiet as he watched Lucas walking out of the hospital hall. When he was finally left alone with Brooke, Julian turned over to her and looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" he worriedly asked, feeling his heart twitch as he noticed the tears that were still glimmering in her eyes. "Brooke?" he tried again, caringly rubbing his hands up and down her arms. As Brooke failed to answer him, Julian's worried gaze intensified and he suddenly realized how exhausted and pale she seemed to be.

"Brooke, have you eaten anything since we had lunch together yesterday?" he gently asked, the concern for her wellbeing evident in his voice.

"I wasn't really hungry…" she mumbled in reply, causing Julian to frown.

"Brooke- that's really not healthy. I know that you're worried about Peyton, but you can't keep going on without eating or sleeping…" he rationally pointed out, yet it didn't come as a surprise to him when Brooke took a deep breath and quickly tried to compose herself.

"I'm fine" she said, forcing out a small, sad smile, yet Julian was certain that Brooke was simply disregarding her own needs so she could be there for everyone else. Knowing, therefore, that someone needed to look after Brooke too- Julian didn't let her off the hook so easily.

"Come on, Brooke- let's go to eat something" he gently suggested, already knowing what Brooke's response was about to be, but bracing himself for the fight that he knew he was about to hold.

"Julian, I can't…" she refused, looking at him in a pained expression, "Peyton's here and I can't leave her alone" she told him, her eyes almost begging him not to press further with the matter, as it truly pained her to go outside and see the world continuing to go on while her best friend's life seemed to be standing still. Julian, however, wasn't going to allow her beautiful hazel eyes to distract him from his target of taking care of her.

"It's either you come with me and eat a decent meal, or we sit down and you talk to me about how you're doing" he made his condition, sadly already knowing what her choice was about to be.

"Fine… Let's go to eat…" Brooke defeatedly replied, confirming what Julian knew would be her decision. It pinched his heart to know that the last thing that Brooke felt comfortable doing was opening up, but he was glad that she was at least finally willing to eat. Sadly, he watched her as she suppressed any trace of vulnerability and rebuilt her strong façade and could only pray that the golden-hearted brunette he was currently following towards the exit of the hospital wouldn't only be there for others, but would someday soon allow someone to truly be there for her too…

*******

"Hi, little girl. Did you miss me?" Brooke whispered to the tiny baby that was once again curled into her frame, cooing softly as Brooke carefully rocked her back and forth. As soon as she and Julian had finished their meal, Brooke did feel much better, yet had insisted on going back to the hospital, even though Julian had tried to convince her to go home and get some rest. She knew that he was right and the dizzy spells she had begun having since that morning proved to her that her body was having trouble handling the lack of sleep she had been putting it through, but she simply felt guilty for continuing to live her life while the fate of Peyton's life was unknown. She therefore insisted on returning to the place she had resided in for the previous four days and immediately walked to the nursery once they got there, knowing that at least in this serene room- her troubles seemed to slightly fade away.

"I sure missed you, baby" Brooke whispered to the small child, tickling her sides with her delicate fingers, "When your mom will see what a beauty you are, she'll be so sorry she didn't wake up earlier…" Brooke said, kissing the baby's forehead as she cuddled her to her chest and grew silent. Both Peyton's nameless daughter and Brooke seemed to have grown comfortable in the new position they settled into on the rocking chair by the baby's crib, with Brooke carefully holding the baby in her arms and looking down at her adoringly while the little girl slumbered, comforted by Brooke's warmth and softness. They were so comfortable, that Brooke didn't even notice the nurse that was quietly approaching her, until she reached her and cleared her throat.

"Would you like to feed her?" the nurse kindly offered, having already grown accustomed to Brooke's presence in the nursery.

"I probably shouldn't…" Brooke awkwardly replied, "I'm sure that her father will be here soon and I don't want to take this away from him" she explained, as she truly didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

"As you wish, although you must know that her father has only been here twice since she was born. We've been feeding her ourselves all this time" the nurse revealed, truly shocking Brooke. Even though she had already noticed that Lucas was spending most of his time with Peyton, she truly didn't think that he could have been completely neglecting his baby all this time. When the awful realization that Peyton's daughter had been fed by strangers all this time dawned on Brooke, she didn't care whether she was overstepping her boundaries anymore and immediately nodded at the nurse.

"On a second thought- let me do it" she asked, knowing that once Peyton would wake up, she would never be able to look her in the eye and tell her that she had deprived her daughter of the comforting experience of being fed by someone who also cared about her and not only saw her as part of the job duties.

The kind nurse smiled at Brooke approvingly and handed her a bottle full of milk. As Brooke carefully brought it to the child's mouth and delightedly watched her best friend's newborn drinking the nutritious meal given to her, she couldn't help but feel her heart ache. It should have been Peyton holding and feeding this child and not her, in an act signaling the strong bond that mothers still share with their newborns. Sighing deeply, Brooke forced herself to rid herself of the disturbing thoughts that plagued her mind and focus on the living miracle she held in her hands, at the small, pink bundle that would forever carry a part of her best friend with her.

"Don't worry, baby" Brooke slightly smiled at the tiny girl in her arms as she watched her drinking her milk, "Your mom will wake up soon and feed you instead of me" she said, trying to reassure both herself and this small child who still wasn't capable of understanding anything Brooke was telling her, but was already becoming soothed by her scratchy, tired voice- the one she had been hearing the most since she had been born. Even though Brooke saw how relaxed the girl was in her arms, she just couldn't help but add, "She just has too…"

*******

Stumbling back into the hospital building a couple of hours after he had left, Lucas was forced to admit to himself that he was very drunk. He had left the hospital in such an angry and upset state, that the only thing he had felt like doing was getting wasted, just drinking until he could forget all of his sorrows. He had therefore driven until he found an open bar and upon entering it- had been drinking until the bartender refused to give him any more alcohol, as he was not just tipsy, but truly drunk. Even though Lucas knew that he shouldn't be driving in his state, he had entered his car nonetheless, and had luckily somehow managed to drive himself back to the hospital safely.

Now, as he made his way through the hospital halls, staggering as he advanced towards Peyton's room, Lucas suddenly grew disoriented due to how much liquor he had consumed. Stumbling slightly and looking around himself in confusion, Lucas scratched his head, trying to figure out where he was and in which direction he needed to proceed in order to get back on the right track towards his wife's room. As he hazily realized that he was standing several feet away from the hospital nursery, Lucas finally understood where he was, but decided to take a peek at his daughter before returning back to Peyton's room.

Lucas unsteadily advanced towards the big window through which the babies in the nursery could be seen and stopped dead in his tracks as the fuzzy sight before him registered to him; his daughter's crib was empty and there was a woman holding her with motherly protectiveness and feeding her with care. In his intoxicated state, Lucas couldn't clearly make out the features of this woman and was suddenly filled with optimistic hopefulness that in the short time that he had been absent- Peyton had woken up and had come to take care of their child. Growing truly excited, Lucas wobbled as quickly as he could with his unstable strides towards the entrance of the nursery and went inside- ready to run up to Peyton, pull her into his arms and tell her how good it was to have her back. Once he entered the nursery and started making his way to his daughter's crib, however, he suddenly realized that the woman rocking his baby in her arms was a brunette…

Rage filled Lucas' drunken body as he finally recognized his child's caretaker and realized that it was actually Brooke. His hopes had been brought up so much by the belief that Peyton had finally woken up, that now that he realized his mistake, Lucas was upset and furious, and as Brooke was the one standing before him instead of Peyton, smiling and feeding his child instead of Peyton, Lucas' intense anger was directed at her.

"Brooke!" he exclaimed loudly, marching towards her in big, angry strides, "I thought that I told you to back off!" he snapped, looking at her with red, blazing eyes.

"Your daughter needed to be fed and cared for, Lucas" Brooke replied, trying to be as calm and quiet as she could, bearing in mind the young child in her arms. She truly didn't want to get into a fight with Lucas again, but as she saw the enraged look in his eyes, she realized that Lucas had other plans in mind.

"Put my daughter down, _Brooke_" he demanded, practically spitting out her name and looking at her with a glare that could only mean that he was dead angry and serious.

"Lucas, please calm down" she quietly asked with a sigh, rocking the newborn in her arms as the tiny girl finished her bottle and started to get fussy.

"I said _let go of my daughter_!" Lucas raised his voice, his loud and aggressive tone causing several babies in nearby cribs to start wailing.

"Sir- I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to leave" one of the nurses came up to him and told his in an uncompromising tone.

"_I_ am this baby's parent, not her!" Lucas noisily called out, now causing his own baby to start crying as well. Glaring at Brooke, he ordered again, "I will only ask you one more time- put my daughter down!"

Not wanting to create an even bigger scene, Brooke carefully handed the wailing baby over to the nurse and raised her hands in defeat, "Fine- are you happy now?" she asked, the exhaustion and lack of patience derived from it evident in her voice. She turned on her heel and walked out of the nursery with a heavy, tired sigh, and was truly amazed to notice that Lucas was following her, marching after her in forceful steps. Upon feeling his strong hand close around her arm and turn her around roughly, Brooke whirled over to face him and looked at him with a worn out expression.

"What do you want, Lucas?" Brooke impatiently asked with a sigh.

"You have no right to waltz in there and pretend that she's your baby" Lucas harshly said, too drunk to notice or care about the hurt expression on Brooke's face, "I know that you wanted a baby, Brooke, but she's not yours!"

"I know that, Luke…" Brooke quietly replied, lowering her gaze to the floor in an attempt to hide the hurt in her eyes, but Lucas wasn't through yet.

"Peyton's lying unconscious in this hospital! You have no right to take advantage of that and try to take her place!" he accusingly said, bitterly pouring out his disappointment and pain from the realization that Peyton wasn't awake, as he had momentarily believed, onto Brooke's shoulders, leaving her stunned and hurt.

"Lucas" she gasped, almost too pained and shocked from his accusations to continue speaking, "I am not trying to take Peyton's place… I'd never…"

"Then why are you around me all the time, trying to "take care" of me?" he mockingly asked, too consumed with his frustration and bitterness to even realize what he was doing to Brooke's heart, "Why do you come here, pretending to be the mother of Peyton's baby?" he blamingly yelled, and through the tears forming in her eyes, Brooke suddenly realized how unfocused his gaze seemed to be.

"Are you drunk?" she shakily and incredulously questioned, staring at him with shocked eyes.

"I'm sorry for having a tough time with my wife in the hospital and not being like you, already thinking of how she could be replaced" he cruelly replied, his cold eyes burning through Brooke, causing her to feel a stab in her heart, yet he wasn't even done. "What did you think, Brooke- that now that Peyton might be out of the picture, you could have a chance with me again? That you could win over my heart with your stupid sandwiches? That you could take Peyton's place in my daughter's life?" Lucas insultingly mocked, now causing Brooke to feel as though he was twisting the knife he had stabbed her heart with. She knew that Lucas was drunk and hurting and didn't really mean all the cruel things that he just said to her, but he had truly crossed the line with his comments. After everything that she had done for him and for his baby, out of the goodness of her heart, her care and due to the importance of her promise to Peyton for her- to know that this was how Lucas saw her, even if it was only due to his grief-stricken state, simply hurt too much.

"You'll never be as good as Peyton to me" Lucas concluded, looking at her with hateful eyes, causing Brooke's strong façade to start cracking.

"You're an ass" she replied in an offended tone, so hurt that she was unable to look him in the eye. Once he spoke back, however, her eyes shot up straight to his face, and instead of fighting back tears, she was filled with anger.

"And you're a slut."

Unable to contain her anger, humiliation and pain anymore, Brooke raised her hand and slapped Lucas. She truly couldn't hold back anymore and hearing him, out of all people, speak to her so insultingly was like a kick to the gut to her, that she truly couldn't control her emotions any longer. What she didn't expect, however, what she never in a million years would expect, was for Lucas to be so drunk and consumed with his pain to be able to act upon instinct and slap her back across her face.

As she flew backwards with a yelp due to the strength that Lucas unleashed upon her, Brooke went into a state of shock. She had been able to take his broodiness, his lack of communicativeness and even his insults with understanding. She was hurting too, due to Peyton's condition, but it was in her nature to be understanding towards others and put herself aside for her friends. Being physically slapped by Lucas, however, was a completely different story, and was truly too much for her to take. She would have never believed that the gentle, intelligent, kindhearted boy who once convinced her that she would change the world someday, who once told her that he gave a rat's ass about her too, would be able to harm her physically on purpose. As she braced herself for the pain she would surely feel upon hitting the floor or the wall, Brooke went into a catatonic state that prevented her from balancing herself from the forceful smack she had received, yet luckily for her, a pair of strong arms grabbed onto her moments before her body was about to slam into the wall.

"_**What the hell, Lucas?!**_" Nathan, who caught Brooke at the last second, glared at Lucas with shock and rage as he pulled Brooke, who was frozenly hanging on his arm, into his side.

All of a sudden completely sober, Lucas stared at Brooke in alarm and fright, unable to believe what his drunken state and impulsiveness had caused him to do. "Brooke…" he weakly called out to her, his remorseful voice dying out as his mouth went dry at the sight of her attached to Nathan's side motionlessly, clutching her burning cheek and burying her face into Nathan's broad chest. Mortified, Lucas watched as Nathan carefully moved Brooke in his arms and gently pulled her palm away from her cheek, to assess the damage done to her, all the while her eyes remaining lost in space. At the moment that Brooke's red, already-slightly-bruised cheek came to view, Nathan's furious, blazing eyes shot up to look at Lucas and Lucas gasped in horror, unable to believe what he had done.

"Brooke, I'm so sor-" Lucas began advancing towards his brother and ex-girlfriend, wanting to beg her for forgiveness, yet stopped as he saw Brooke recoiling into Nathan's body and as Nathan's voice cut him off, roaring at him.

"Seriously, Lucas?! It's bad enough that you hit a girl, but _Brooke_? You would seriously touch Brooke?!" Nathan accusingly questioned, disgusted of his brother's behavior.

"I don't know what came into me, Nate, I-" Lucas' voice was noticeably shaky from the intense shock, horror and embarrassment that he felt, but Nathan wouldn't hear of it.

"This girl has already been through emotional hell because of you, and yet she's still here for you- taking care of your baby and looking after you, and you repay her by hitting her?!" Nathan shamed his brother, staring at him incredulously.

"I can't explain why I did this, I-"

"That's because there's no acceptable explanation, Lucas!" Nathan narrowed his eyes and told Lucas pointedly, his eyes projecting the anger he felt for the way his brother treated the still girl in his arms, "This is _Brooke_… Brooke, who used to be your girlfriend. Brooke, who is Jamie's godmother and Peyton's best friend. Brooke, who gave up her happiness for the sake of yours. Brooke, who has always been by your side- after your accident in high school, after Keith died and after both of your first engagements didn't work out. Brooke, who was attacked this year by a man your size, but still came to Quentin's funeral to be there for us just a few days later. This is _our Brooke_, Lucas! How could you?!" Nathan heatedly questioned, wrapping his arms around Brooke slightly tighter, in a protective manner, and glaring at Lucas with angry eyes.

There was a long silence as Nathan kept staring intently at Lucas and Lucas couldn't take his eyes off of the hunched-over figure curled into his brother's side. He truly would have done anything in order to go back in time and take back the way he had treated Brooke and had spoken to her, but tragically he knew he couldn't. Tragically, Lucas suddenly realized that now not only was he at risk of losing Peyton, but that he was also at risk of losing Brooke, their Brooke.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Brooke…" Lucas choked out as tears started welling up in his eyes. As he stood in the middle of the hospital hall in which his wife was hospitalized and looked at the disturbingly still brunette in his brother's arms, Lucas felt as if his world was falling apart. Lucas suddenly remembered that Peyton and Brooke were _both_ his girls, now each in a different way, but he couldn't deny the fact that he loved both of them, that they both had a special place in his heart, and therefore the thought of losing either one of them was truly unbearable for him.

"Brooke, I swear to god that I never meant to hurt you, O.K.?" Lucas tensely said, his eyes, clouded with tears of regret, begging her for forgiveness, yet Nathan wouldn't have it.

"But you still did…" Nathan coldly stated, causing Lucas' gaze to fall to the floor with shame, "I know that you are hurting, Luke, but you really crossed the line. You did hurt her, so leave now" he demanded, his voice quiet and free of emotions, but as adamant as could possibly be.

Just as Lucas stumbled back slightly, unable to stand the sight of what he had done to the brunette who he cared for so much, yet had been neglecting recently, as he made his relationship with her blonde best friend official, Skills stepped into the hallway and froze as he took in the sight before him.

"What's goin' on?" Skills inquisitively questioned, looking in between the two brothers and taking in the tense silence in which they were consumed.

"Nate, dawg- what up with Brooke? She alright?" he sincerely asked, concerned with the way she seemed to be limply buried in Nathan's arms.

"She'll be fine, as long as you take Lucas away from here before I kick his ass. Apparently he never heard that being a bully is no longer suitable after the age of five, and even then it's pretty unacceptable" Nathan replied, causing Skills to frown, yet to come to Lucas' side as he observed the anger in Nathan's eyes.

"Come on, Luke- let's go, dawg" Skills advised, pulling a grief-stricken Lucas out of the corridor with him, as he truly didn't want the Scott brothers to engage in a physical fight, despite the fact that he completely disapproved with what he thought he understood that Lucas had done.

Once Skills and Lucas were out of sight, Nathan could finally turn his undivided attention over to Brooke. Looking down at the unmoving girl who was silently clutching onto his sleeves, Nathan felt his heart twitch. Peyton was Brooke's best friend since childhood, and even though it was evident that Brooke was hurting and frightened due to the blonde's unclear fate, Brooke had yet to let go of her bottled-up emotions, even now- when she received a tough blow that he could visibly see had shaken her up. Even though for the past four days, Nathan had wanted to tell Brooke to stop holding it together for others and just let it all out, he knew that she wouldn't and now he also had her physical state to worry about due to his idiot of a brother. As he slightly moved her frozen body in his arms and softly brushed a finger over her swollen cheek, yet still caused her to involuntarily flinch, Nathan was truly getting worried.

"Brooke, are you alright?" he questioned with concern, which only grew due to her lack of response, "Brooke, please say something, babe- you're starting to get me really worried here…" he pleaded, slightly moving her in his arms in an attempt to elicit a response out of her.

Much to his relief, he seemed to have slightly pulled Brooke out of the shocked state that Lucas' aggressiveness had driven her into. Nathan watched Brooke closely as she slowly blinked and licked her dry lips, and finally took a deep breath of relief when she, at last, slowly rasped out in her worn out, scratchy voice, "I'm fine, Nate."

"Thank god" Nathan squeezed her to him and kissed her on top of her head, unable to hide his relief, as for a moment there- he wasn't sure if Brooke was there with him. As he released Brooke and noted how detached she seemed to be, Nathan knew that she was lying when she said she was fine, but he was already accustomed to Brooke's inability of allowing others to view her vulnerability. It really killed him to see how, despite the tears glimmering in her eyes, Brooke still wasn't letting go and giving herself release, yet he knew better than to push her. He knew that in her own time, she would let go.

Realizing that Brooke still seemed to be pretty overwhelmed, Nathan gently untangled her from his hug and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Brooke" he softly guided her, "Let's go outside and get a breath of fresh air" he advised and pulled Brooke's rigid body along with him when she didn't object.

Once they were outside, sitting side by side on a bench in the entrance of the hospital, Nathan put his hand on Brooke's slender back and cleared his throat before gently saying, "She'll be fine, you know…"

As Brooke's big, hazel eyes finally lifted up to look at him, staring at him questioningly, Nathan elaborated, "Peyton… She's always been a fighter. She's survived so much, that I just know she'll be fine now, when she finally got everything she's ever wanted" he confidently said, trying to reassure Brooke. He felt like she also deserved to receive some support through this tough time, and not only Lucas, yet his words actually caused Brooke to shiver as they stirred up a memory in her.

_"I'm scared I'm gonna miss it all… My life with Lucas and the baby, and my friends and my family… and you…"_

The memory of Peyton's genuine, tearful revelation cracked Brooke's frozen, resilient façade. She took a shaky breath, but could already feel the tears choking her up, as she now shared Peyton's fear. She was afraid that now that her best friend finally got her happy ending, she tragically wouldn't be able to enjoy it, and as much as Brooke wanted to fulfill her promise to Peyton- she knew that she just couldn't do it any longer. She needed Peyton, Lucas needed Peyton and the baby needed Peyton. Despite Brooke's fierce attempts to make sure that all three of them were alright without Peyton- none of them were- they all needed the blonde woman desperately.

As Nathan saw Brooke's increasingly growing struggle against her emotions, he brought her closer to him and started rubbing her back in soothing motions, "You know, Brooke- you've always been a tough cookie, but sometimes it's O.K. to let go… You're our Brooke- you don't have to pretend to be strong with us. Just let it out…" he sincerely advised her, knowing how unhealthy bottling up one's emotions could be. As he stroked up and down her back, Nathan could tell that his gentle behavior and soothing words were getting to Brooke, as he saw the forceful way she began biting onto her lower lip and her intense fight against the round, wet tears that threatened to trickle out of her eyes. For a moment, Nathan truly believed that Brooke was about to allow him to comfort her and shoulder her pain, as her strong front crumbled before him even more, yet just as he was about to envelope her in a big, brotherly hug- Brooke abruptly rose to her feet.

"Excuse me…" she politely mumbled over her shoulder as she fled back into the hospital, reluctant to let Nathan see her in her breaking point. His genuine care and the recollections that it stirred in her were really too much for Brooke, pushing her towards the inevitable breakdown she had known for four days that she would have at some point.

With a blurry vision, shaded by her tears, Brooke followed her feet's lead and ended up in the entrance of Peyton's room once again. Without even thinking, Brooke entered the dim, quiet room and felt her breath hitch as she once again noted how still and pale her best friend seemed to be. As she once again flashed back to the meaningful conversation she held with Peyton right before her wedding, the first tear slipped out of Brooke's eye, followed by another.

_"When I think of everyone else out there in the world that goes through their life alone, and then I think of all the amazing years I've gotten to spend with my beautiful, __beautiful__ best friend- Brooke Davis, I kind of feel sorry for everybody else…"_

At the time that Peyton first told her that, Brooke also had tears in her eyes, but with Peyton by her side, she had been able to laugh it off. Now, however, as the weight of the words registered to Brooke, she suddenly felt like Peyton had actually, in a way, bid her goodbye with this statement, with which she thanked Brooke for all their years of friendship. A statement that was followed with Peyton telling Brooke that she loved her, maybe out of fear that she would never be able to do so again. As this realization dawned on Brooke, her heart truly dropped, and the big breakdown that she had been dreading for the past four days finally arrived, as Brooke's body started wracking with the devastated, petrified sobs she began to utter.

"You can't do this, P. Sawyer… You can't leave me alone!" Brooke cried, wet trails of tears forming on her pale cheeks.

"I can't do this without you, Peyton… I swear that I tried, but we all need you- Lucas and the baby… and me too…" Brooke sobbed, her shaking body slumping to a chair by Peyton's bedside, as she poured her heart out to her motionless best friend.

"Your daughter is absolutely beautiful, but she still doesn't have a name…. Lucas is just lost, and I'm…. Without you, I'm all alone…" Brooke whimpered, not even bothering to wipe away the tears from her cheeks, as they rolled down her face too rapidly.

"Besides- I already told you that if your stupid, skinny ass goes anywhere before I say so, we are not best friends anymore…" Brooke's voice cracked as she began sobbing even harder, unable to bear the pain of the thought that Peyton might not wake up.

"You've gotta wake up, Peyton" Brooke brokenly pleaded with her, as her crushed cries kept rolling out of her mouth uncontrollably, "I know that you wanted me to take care of Lucas and the baby, but I just can't… I can't do it anymore, Peyton, because it should be you… It hurts too much, Peyton… We all just need you to wake up…" Brooke barely managed to say before her sobs choked her up. Unable to take any of it anymore, Brooke just buried her face in her hands and cried, frightened and overwhelmed and shattered from it all.

When a pair of muscular, familiar arms suddenly grabbed her and pulled her in for a fierce hug, Brooke's sobs only grew louder and only became more broken, as she was unable to control herself anymore.

"I'm sorry, Brooke… I'm so, so sorry…" Lucas' torn, shaky voice filled her ears, as he pulled her tighter against his strong frame, causing her to just completely break down and cry even harder.

"I'll never forgive myself for hurting you, Brooke… I know that you were just trying to be the best friend you could, and I should have never let it out on you, but I'm just scared…" Lucas confessed, his voice cracking as his own tears started falling down, rolling down his face and blending with Brooke's tears, which were completely wetting his shirt, a fact that he couldn't care less about. When he had crossed Peyton's room with Skills on his way out of the hospital and had suddenly spotted Brooke crying her eyes out by Peyton's bed, she suddenly looked younger to him and reminded him of the teenage girl that used to be such a big part of his world. All of a sudden it dawned on him that despite the fact that he hadn't spent as much time with her as he used to in the past, that the selfless, vulnerable, beautiful soul he had shared his world with all those years ago had been there all along, caring for him and looking after him and after the woman he now called his wife. Despite the fact that he had distanced himself from her since he had chosen Peyton as the woman he wanted to be with, as he didn't want to fall back into their love triangle, he now couldn't deny that he could never really stop loving this girl. Although now he had matured and realized that he could only have one romantic love in his life, he still couldn't contradict the fact that even though it now became a platonic, admiring adoration- Brooke would always reside in his heart. He now realized that he was wrong to push Brooke away, to lash out at her and take his frustration out on her, as all three of them- Brooke, Peyton, and him, would always be trapped in a strong bond that could never be denied.

"I'm sorry, Brooke… I know that you're hurting too…" Lucas mumbled to her through his tears, pressing her trembling body to his bigger form, "Please forgive me for being the biggest jerk there ever lived…" he begged her, knowing that he didn't deserve her forgiveness, but hoping that Brooke would find it in her kind heart to excuse him, nonetheless, as he now realized that he truly couldn't bear to lose her either. He didn't know how he had been able to overlook this during the year that had passed, but just as Nathan said- this really was _their Brooke_; the cheerful girl- who never admitted how much she missed her parents back in high school, the crazy girl- who had practically burst into tears as she set the fire alarm in his house after attempting to make him dinner once, the confident girl- who sponged his floor off and skeptically stared at him while he introduced her to a mop, the loving girl- who had her heart broken so many times, at least twice by him. She was their Brooke, _his_ Brooke, and now that he finally realized that again- he wasn't planning on ever letting her go.

"Brooke- I promise that I would never dare to hurt you again… We need you in our lives… I'm really not ready to lose you…" Lucas choked out, the lack of response coming from Brooke truly frightening him.

As Brooke suddenly remembered the last time Lucas had told her that he wasn't ready to lose her, when he had given her his room so she could stay in Tree Hill back in high school, Brooke was suddenly also reminded of the younger version of Lucas Scott- of the sensitive, intelligent boy she would have done anything for. Still overwhelmed by her emotions and unable to stop her tears- Brooke slightly nodded against Lucas' chest and mumbled a soft, "O.K…." telling Lucas that he was forgiven.

"Thank you, Brooke…" Lucas let out a huge sigh of relief, allowing a few more tears out of his eyes as he realized just how awful was the act that Brooke had to forgive him for. Ashamed of himself, Lucas couldn't help but apologize one more time, "God… I'm just so sorry, Brooke. You didn't deserve any of it…"

"I just need her to wake up…" Brooke sobbed out in response, unable to handle the knowledge that as the time went by, the fact that Peyton remained unconscious was reducing the chances of her waking up, "I just need her to open her eyes- that's all…" Brooke cried into Lucas' chest, incapable of containing her sadness and fear anymore.

"I know, Brooke, I know…" Lucas sadly replied. The two of them then just held each other and cried, letting go of everything they had been holding back since Peyton was hospitalized and expressing their genuine fear and sadness due to her condition. They remained that way for quite a while- until both of their bodies were cleansed of the poisonous feelings that resided in them and became worn out due to the healthy release that they experienced. Even though Lucas was no longer crying and Brooke was only sniffling slightly, the two of them still held onto each other- relishing in each other's familiar, friendly support, cherishing the lost friendship that they finally found again. Only as they suddenly heard shuffling sounds coming from Peyton's bed did the two of them abruptly let go of each other and rush over to her bedside.

"Peyton?" Brooke's shaky, raspy voice hesitantly asked as Lucas quickly grabbed his wife's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Both Brooke and Lucas watched Peyton with alert, expectant eyes as she slightly shifted in her bed, uttering soft moans. Their awaiting eyes grew even wider as Peyton's eyelids began fluttering, and then slowly opened, finally revealing Peyton's dull, exhausted green eyes again.

"Hi…" Lucas barely managed to say as tears once again clouded his vision, yet this time- out of happiness. As Brooke looked at her best friend, even though she had believed that she wouldn't have any more tears to shed after her long breakdown- she could already feel her cheeks becoming wet again.

"Did you two bump into each other?" Peyton slowly slurred, her eyes tiredly shifting from Lucas' red cheek to Brooke's swollen one, causing both Brooke and Lucas to let out relieved laughs.

"It's a long story… God- you've scared me" Lucas said, almost in one breath, bending forwards so he could kiss Peyton's forehead, "Thank god, Peyton, we were so afraid…" he said to her with tears in his eyes, giving her forehead yet another peck, due to the intense excitement and relief he felt upon witnessing her wake up and speak to him.

"I'm O.K…." Peyton softly mumbled, trying to reassure first Lucas, and then Brooke, who was standing several steps back and uselessly battling against her tears, "I really am, Brooke…" she told her best friend, causing the brunette to go into yet another fit of cries.

"Never do this to us again, P. Sawyer…" Brooke choked out as she advanced even more towards Peyton and bent down to kiss her cheek, afterwards grabbing her free hand and stroking over it with her thumb.

"O.K…." Peyton weakly replied, her body still recovering from her long, four-day slumber.

"I should probably get the doctor…" Lucas was about to rise to his feet as he noticed Peyton momentarily closing her eyes due to her exhaustion and physical weakness, yet Peyton gently stopped him.

"How's our baby?" she asked him with concern, looking at him with worry and slight fear, causing him to respond instantaneously.

"She's perfect."

"Can I see her?" Peyton pleaded, looking at Lucas with big, tired eyes.

"I'll go get her" Brooke immediately volunteered, quickly slipping out of the room in order to give the newly-weds several moments alone, but almost immediately returning with the precious pink bundle of life in her arms.

"Say hello to mommy, baby girl" Brooke softly said to the small child in her arms, gently kissing the baby's tiny, wiggling fingers, as tears still glimmered in her eyes. As carefully as could possibly be- Brooke bent down and gently lowered the newborn into Peyton's awaiting arms, letting go of her only when she was certain that Peyton's frail arms had a secure enough grip on her.

"What should we name her?" Lucas consulted with Peyton as he put one arm around her shoulders and the other- around Peyton's arms, which held their baby, wanting to feel his new family close to him.

"Sawyer" Peyton instantly replied, causing Lucas to nod agreeably.

"O.K., that sounds great- Sawyer Scott…" Lucas lovingly stared at Peyton and then at Sawyer, liking the name that Peyton had picked for the small girl.

"No…" much to Lucas' surprise, Peyton shook her head. In response to his inquisitive look, Peyton elaborated, "Sawyer _Brooke_ Scott" she said, moving her eyes from Lucas' now smiling face and over to Brooke, who was helplessly trying to stifle her cries.

"Really?" Brooke shakily questioned, unable to hide how emotional this simple gesture was making her.

"It sounds perfect to me" Lucas supported his wife's decision, making the newborn's name final. As he witnessed Brooke's struggle against her tears, he momentarily moved his hand away from his baby and took Brooke's hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze, "You've definitely earned this… She loves you already…" he said, once again, in his own way, apologizing for the harsh things he had said to her.

As the room grew quiet and Brooke felt Lucas' hand slip away from hers and back to hold his baby with Peyton, she smiled at the sight of the new family bonding before her. Suddenly feeling like she was interfering in a private moment that she wasn't part of, Brooke softly cleared her throat and quietly said, "Well, I'll leave you guys alone… I'm sure that you have a lot of catching up to do." She was almost out of the room when Lucas and Peyton's voices both stopped her.

"Wait" she could hear Peyton asking her.

"Stay" at the same time, Lucas was requesting the exact same thing.

"Are you sure?" Brooke turned around and asked them both, not wanting to interrupt their intimate family time, yet authentically smiling when she heard Lucas' genuine response.

"Of course we are- you're our Brooke" he simply said, as Peyton nodded in agreement, immediately causing Brooke to return to Peyton's bedside and sit down, no longer feeling as an outsider interrupting them.

As the three old friends sat together and admired the miracle of life before them, Lucas couldn't help but note how right it felt to have both Brooke and Peyton by his side. Even though he was now completely and undoubtedly committed to Peyton, he now realized that their love triangle would forever exist, but not as a romantic triangle from hell, but rather as a bond between three people who would forever care for each other with all their hearts. His daughter's name- Sawyer Brooke Scott even proved the strength of this bond, eternally tying all of their names into a living being that they all cared deeply for. So even though Peyton was his wife and Brooke was his dear friend, this was _his_ Peyton and _his_ Brooke, and he finally got them both back…

* * *

**AN: Well, this was it! I hope that you liked it! ;-) Once again- I would appreciate to hear what you thought! ;-) **

**-superstargirl7**


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